Students and visitors enjoyed the opening of “Scaremare: The House of Death,” Thursday, led into the house by Liberty student volunteers. The frightening portrayals of death led to presentations of the gospel at the end of the event.

Located at 2300 Carroll Ave., Scaremare is open to the public Thursday through Saturday during the last three weeks of October. People come into groups to walk the trail of terror.

“Every Room Remembers” is this year’s theme, featuring clowns, hospitals, grisly torture and death. The opening scene immediately illustrates the theme with a car crash and a group of people outside screaming for help.

Each year approximately 20,000 people come to this outreach. Many Liberty students attend college night on Thursdays at the discounted price of $3. Some students enjoy Scaremare so much that they come back year after year.

“This was my second time attending Scaremare and I enjoyed it, but I did not get as scared because I knew what to expect,” sophomore Lauren Keating said. “The guy that spoke in the tent did a great job explaining everything and it did not seem like he was trying to shove anything in my face. I am glad I got to go again and have another great experience.”

Although some people show up annually, there are also those attending for the first time, without a clue of what they are walking into. “It was my first time attending Scaremare and I thought that it was put together nicely, but I did not necessarily think it was very scary,” sophomore Chase Montney said.

“It did have a strong message representing the house and they evangelized everyone at the end very well. I thought the workers did a good job scaring people without taking it overboard.”

Every actor in the scenes is expected to keep their poise throughout the performances and never come out of character. With people screaming, laughing and talking to them, the task can become extremely difficult.

“What kept me motivated to stay in character all night was just the reactions of the people walking through,” sophomore volunteer Kelly Marvel said. “They were really freaked out by all the blood and gore, so screaming at them really added to the effect.”

Preaching tents are key in Scaremare because those who walk through the house have the chance to hear the gospel and to make personal decisions about their own lives. The tent is the part of the night many workers look forward to the most.

“I hope to see God do incredible things through the use of Scaremare,” Matthew Cameron, junior volunteer, said. “I have witnessed changes in the past years, whether it was salvations in the tents or the discussions afterwards due to the seeds being planted.”
A complex event like this one requires much planning and creativity in order to grab each visitor’s interest. Over 200 dedicated volunteers are needed in order to make Scaremare possible. The Center for Youth Ministry sponsors this event every year, coordinating with Dr. Steve Vandegriff.

Vandegriff has been involved, through previous ministries, in outreaches similar to Scaremare. He knew of the responsibilities that would be required of him and the amount of detail required to make something like this successful.

“Scaremare has a way of capturing the imagination of an entire community, as well as a very unique way of reaching out with the Gospel of Christ,” Vandegriff said.

Although many youth ministry majors play a huge role in Scaremare, students in other majors volunteer, as well. Students also volunteer to work their 20 hours of community service through helping out with the production of the House of Death.

Scaremare’s purpose is reaching diverse people with the gospel in a new way. An average of 1,500 visitors walk through each night, so it offers a place for thousands of people to hear the gospel message after exiting the scenes of death.

“My favorite part about Scaremare is the reality of it all… They see the reality of this life and the death that comes to all,” Janette Marin, senior worker, said. “Through all the fun and scaring hysterics, it leaves these attendees with a decision — death or everlasting life.”